Mbappé Is in the Best Phase of His Career; Returning to Anfield, He Looks to Prove Himself

Real Madrid is set to face Liverpool away in the Champions League group stage. The topic turned to the penalty Mbappé missed when playing away against Liverpool in the Champions League last season.

Less than a year ago, Anfield witnessed the darkest night for Mbappé at Real Madrid. His performance plummeted: he lost possession repeatedly, was completely out of form... and even missed a crucial penalty.

At that time, Mbappé returned to the left wing, but his pace, strength, and unpredictable finishing seemed to vanish entirely on that night at Liverpool. With Vinícius sidelined by injury, Mbappé had to lead the attack alongside Díaz and Güler.

However, nothing went as planned—Mbappé that night was merely a shadow of the player who had forced Real Madrid to spare no effort to sign him.

After Liverpool scored, fate gave him a chance: Vázquez won a penalty. Mbappé stepped up and took responsibility. Yet, Kelleher correctly judged the direction and saved the ball. The image of Mbappé bowing his head at the penalty spot symbolized the lowest point of his time at Real Madrid since joining. Statistics could not hide the truth: 2 shots, 18 successful passes out of 24 (75%), 6 wins in 13 duels, and 15 possession losses.

Before that game, the coaching staff was still hesitant about who should occupy the left-wing position, and Mbappé’s performance finally settled the issue. He made frequent mistakes in passing and ball control, lacking confidence, spark, and spirit. Despite his efforts, he did not have enough determination and courage to threaten Bradley, who produced the best tackle of his career against him.

His first mistake almost led to a goal, but Asensio made a timely clearance. After that, the game became an unstoppable downward spiral for him. The 62nd minute brought his last chance at redemption, but Kelleher did not give him that opportunity at Anfield.

“There is a medicine called patience. This is a difficult time for him, especially after missing the penalty. Everyone must support him,” Ancelotti tried to defend him at the post-match press conference. Now, everything is different. Mbappé is in the best phase of his career, perhaps the most brilliant one so far.

He is Real Madrid’s leader and absolute core, with every attack he participates in turning into a threat. In La Liga, he has scored 13 goals in 11 games, and 18 goals in 14 games in total. His average of 1.29 goals per game is comparable to Cristiano Ronaldo.

He has scored in eight consecutive rounds of matches, second only to Ronaldo’s 10 consecutive rounds in the 2014/15 season. The next games are against Rayo Vallecano and Elche; if he can keep scoring, he will equal the record, and the match against Girona will give him a chance to break it.

He has scored 44 goals in his first 45 La Liga games: this is the best start since Puskás (44 goals in 44 games), even surpassing Ronaldo (43 goals in 45 games). Therefore, returning to Anfield means revenge for him—this time, he wants to prove himself.